Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1887-04-27
THE JANITOR'S. FEES.
pEROUlSITES ROLL IN FAST ENOUGH
TO MAKE HIM RICH.

An Income which Would Make Almost
Amy Man Happy-The Flat Janitor an
Autocrat Whose Vengeance Is Not to
Be Despised.
A good janitorship is we'll worth having.
There may not DO much glory in it, but IL
produces lots of money. When Alderman
Tom Cleary went on the witness stand the
other day to mako out the best case he
could for himself, he said that his income
as ianitor of tho Equitable Life building
footed up about 5000 month, and that he
made $245 month more by looking after
other buildings. His janitorial earnings
therefore, came very near $14 900 year.
There arc hundreds of hard worked law
yers, doctors, professors, ministers, jour
nalists, artists and other educated brain
toilers in New York who would be glad to
earn half of that. Indeed, q third OF 1t
would make a good many brain workers
happy. The professional man Of any call
ing who is sure of So, 900 q year is on the
lucky side. OF course there are some who
mako great deal more, especially law
yers and doctors, but they are the few.
The many are more likely to be below the
SIS, 900 mark than above it. The mayor
of New York gets q salary of 1000, and
n Judge of the United States supreme
court receives $4,000, while Tom Cleary
could pick up nearly $14, 900 as q janitor'
REGULAR ArPURTENAECES.
But there are not many janitorships as
| profitable as his-probably not another.
| All the large Office buildings have Jan1tors
as regular appurtenances, but the post ID
the Equitable building is apparently the
best OF all. Others are good for Jun
to SIC, 900 or $12, 900, The actual salary
Is not large in any case, but it is not the
| salary that counts, but the perqulsltes. "A
man could make money, good deal o.
money, by taking the janitorship OF
large office building for nothing and de
pending ON the perquisites alone. All TINT
tenants find it desirable to be on the RICH
side of the janitor, all the help employed
by him ditto, and every person turnlshlni
supplies Of any kind or doing work OF an;
kind knows that he must make 1t al
right,' with the ianitor or find himsel
dropped very soon.
It is in the big uptown fats, though
that the ianitor is an autocrat in earnest
A ianitor Is rs necessary in a fiat as
norter in n large store. There is grea
deal of work to be done to keep the plac
in order and the ianitor is there to do il
Most of the tenants believe he Is ais
there to make their lives rs wretched q
possible They probably never see tn
landlord at all, and the agent only once
month. when he calls for the rent, bu
the janitor is always with them. Neithe
2 by day nor by night can they escape h
haunting presence. 1t is the special p
culiarity Of the fat janitor to be alws!
on the make, and he finds thousan
ways to make this perfectly clear to a
. who came in contact with him. II tel
ant wants any little matter attended to,
] discovers very soon that the janitor r
] CARDS it as an extra, to be considered on
f in connection with spot cash. The su
:, total may be only dime, or possibly
u quarter, but dimes and quarters NAL
S dollars, and the janitor has frugal min
e THE MATTER OF SUPPLIES.
e His best hold, however, is in the ma
h ter Of supplies. Each and all mu
patronize the butcher, baker, groce
milkman, ice man and coal man. Th'
d are his favorites, because they understal
u the spot cash principle and act on it. {
every order they get from the house t
janitor receives what the vulgar call
-' "whack," but what he prefers to call
a commission. If new tenant shows al
| puerile weakness for dealing with
- butcher, baker or grocer not on the Ja
" itor's list, no or she finds out very so
that it won't do. The janitor may q
d say anything, but he has ways Of shown
y, what he thinks about it that are mu
more effective than words. The roa
u beef and the French rolls may bear OF
IF ward evidence Of association with ash'
$. and the groceries seem to have been in
Il ras'f sAsett3 aanuU1 quUsuIouevI rs W WI
is this Is thus, Of course he knows nothil
is about it; but he is likely to hint that
# would be better to drop that particul
butcher, baker or grocer, and order frc
4 his favorite instead. The tenant who !
ID fuses to take the hint is not wise. B
~ nearly all do take it, for experience in 9th
flats has taught them a lesson. Unlt
- the janitor is placated, neither peace
II mind nor comfort of body may be look
re for Though only q humble servitio
% theory, he is autocrat of the cstablishme
= in fact, and to disregard his power is
invite his vengeance.-New York Ct
Of Detroit Free Press.